Engineering Degree Profile
Engineering degrees are associated with the area of applied sciences, and graduates are some of the highest paid professionals in the nation. The creative and intelligent engineering majors are on the forefront of technology and are the leading users and producers of most of the sophisticated high-tech products on today's market. Constantly evolving, these contributors apply the latest concepts to their constructive, productive and technologically advanced projects, changing the world, and innovating man-kind.
Common Specialized Engineering Degree Programs
- Aerospace Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Drafting Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Electronics Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Robotics Engineering
- Software Engineering
- Systems Engineering
Average salary
Entry level $60,000 to $100,000 mid-career
Degree Programs
A bachelor’s degree (including an associate’s degree) is required for entry-level work from a completion of between 120 and 128 credit hours, depending on the university. Master’s degree and doctoral degrees are preferred for mid-level work entry.
Top Engineering Schools
(via GraduatesHotline.com, 2009)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Stanford University
University of California-Berkeley
California Institute Technology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
College Courses: Math, Science, Technology
Recommended High School AP Courses
- Calculus AB or Calculus BC
- Computer Science A
- Statistics
- Physics B or Physics C
Careers Obtained with Engineering Degrees
- Assembly Engineer
- Associate Mechanical Engineer
- Biomedical Engineering Intern
- Chief Engineer
- Cost Engineer
- Design Engineer
- Development Engineer
- Electronics Design Engineer
- Project Manager
- Reliability Engineer
- Integration Engineer
- Junior Packaging Engineer
- Machine Design Engineer
- Operations Supervisor
- Process Engineering Specialist
- Product Development Design Engineer
- Quality Control Engineer
- Senior Hardware Systems Engineer
- Senior Health and Safety Engineer
- Software Design Engineer
- Structural Design Engineer
- Telecommunications Field Engineer
- Water Test Process Engineer
Notable Engineering Professionals 
- Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone
- Bill Koch, yachtsman and captain of America’s Cup team
- Bonnie Dunbar, astronaut
- Boris Yeltsin, former president of Russia
- Dave Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard
- Herbert Hoover, 31st president of the United States
- Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States
- John Sununu, former White House chief of staff for President George Bush
- Leonardo Da Vinci, scientist and artist
- Neil Armstrong, astronaut and first person to set foot on the moon
- Ray Dolby, Academy Award- and Grammy-winning audio system innovator and founder of Dolby Laboratories
- Scott Adams, cartoonist and creator of ‘Dilbert’
- Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox
- William Hewlett, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard
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